Court to hear school equipment dispute

Associated PressPublished: August 25, 2014 4:00AM

COLUMBUS -- The Ohio Supreme Court is weighing arguments by charter schools that they are entitled to equipment bought by their management company with taxpayer dollars without having to pay for the property.

The case, to be heard Sept. 23, comes with a political twist: The Democratic candidate for attorney general is criticizing GOP incumbent Mike DeWine for dropping out of the case after strongly backing the schools' arguments earlier.

Several charter schools formerly run by Akron-based White Hat Management say taxpayer dollars remain public when management companies use them for operating publicly funded charter schools.

White Hat says in almost all circumstances it owns the property because the public money it receives for operating schools becomes private when it takes control of it.